It is a common requirement in the music industry to package packs of CD cassettes (commonly known as "jewel boxes"), say 25 CD's, the cassettes being positioned face to face, one behind the other. There are various types of packaging in common use, but they all have a shape conforming to the shape of the CD pack, namely a narrow rectangular box having a similar cross-section to that of the CD cassette and of a length sufficient to accommodate the CD pack. Such packaging is frequently designed to be opened in one specific orientation.
A problem has arisen in modem storage systems in warehouses and shops which include flow-racks, in which packages move under gravity on roller ways, where it is not possible to maintain the package in a specific orientation, for example because locations are allocated for the package which are smaller than the width dimension of the pack in its normal orientation. Thus after processing in the storage system, the package may be disposed in an orientation, for example on its side, in which it is not convenient or possible to open the package. This is a problem where speedy and efficient access to the CD's is required, particularly if it is required to remove only some of the CD's from the pack and to leave the remainder in place in the package in the storage system.
Packages in common use are as follows:
1. Shallow trays in which the CD pack is positioned, the whole being covered in shrink-wrapping. This can conveniently only be opened with the tray lowermost, and if the tray is disposed on its side, then it is not convenient to open the package and to remove only some of the CD's without risk of spilling the remainder.
2. A wrap-around box wherein a cardboard blank is folded around the CD pack. To access the pack, the box has to be opened at one end and the CD's removed individually. Otherwise the box has to be removed from its position and cut or torn open, which is clearly inconvenient.
3. A box with a lid. This implies the box should be stored on its base with the lid uppermost. If the box is disposed on its side, then access becomes difficult.
4. A simple shrink-wrapped covering around the pack. This is structurally not strong enough for conveyor belt systems and further cannot be opened without destruction of the package. Thus it is not possible to extract some CD's and to leave the rest in place.
A design of cardboard box, not specifically indended for CD's, which provides a display function, is shown in FR-A-2581971. The box is of the wrap-around type with tear strips which enable the whole of the top of the box, or just a front quadrant of the box, to be removed from the remainder so that the objects within the box can be displayed without removing them. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,100 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,884,348 disclose cardboard boxes having tear strips for separating the boxes into two halves so that the lower half can function as a display tray for the contents. None of these references is specifically designed for CD's, and all of these references require opening to take place in one specific orientation of the box.